The use of various alternatives to improve the posture or appearance of certain parts of the body, especially the gluteal region, is well known by people involved in the art of manufacturing garments. Most are based on two techniques: a) the use of pleats with seams (also known as ‘crimps’) to modify the profile of said garments, and b) the inclusion of support bands that ‘lift’ and at times ‘separate’ the muscles.
Regarding the first alternative, in many cases, the crimps are designed so that the net effect is, on the one hand, an imprint on the waist and, on the other hand, the elevation of the gluteal region, at the expense of the user's comfort, and in some cases causing discomfort in the crotch area, especially in female users.
The method used to create these pleats in the cloth to improve the figure is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,947 (Bergstein, 1966), although in this case the purpose of the pleats or crimps is only to modify the appearance without acting directly upon the body of the user.
The use of elastic bands has been the most frequently used alternative. A considerable number of patent documents describe alternate approaches; including, for example, the following:
U.S. design patent No. D453,604 (Hart, 2002) describes a support device for the buttocks, consisting of a band that surrounds the waist, to which are added another two bands that surround the upper part of the user's legs, from the waist, passing under the buttocks towards the crotch and rising again to the waist. The use of narrow bands for exerting pressure on the muscles, will make them “dig in” and offer a disagreeable appearance, as well as discomfort for the user.
The use of wider bands may be a slightly less uncomfortable way to exert pressure on the muscles, as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,118 (Kishi, 1999), which employs bands of combined woven materials, with various modules of elasticity, depending on the direction of stretching of the base cloth of the garment, in order to achieve an effect of raising the buttocks and flattening the belly. A similar development is proposed in European patent application No. 2,745,473 (WACOAL CORP., 1997), and, in general, is the basis for the manufacture of various models of girdles. In an alternative sense, U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,379 (Ozbey, 1982) shows the use of elastic bands not only for raising the buttocks but also for exercising them.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,062 B1 (Amsel et al., 2003) on the other hand, describes a pair of pants shaped with a high rear and a low front, including elastic panels in the entire front section in order to press the stomach and the user's abdominal area while pulling the rear of the pants in order to lift the buttocks; an attempt is made to ensure an invisible seam, preferentially directed inside the legs and the crotch to offer a smoother appearance.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,451 (Tassone et al., 1996) describes the use of an adjustable “stretch” material for creating a pair of pants using two pieces for the front and rear of the pants, as is well known in the art; the rear sections are attached from the crotch to the waist along an outline seam with a very noticeable roundness, and the legs narrow near the crotch so that the pressure that is exercised causes a rising pressure and therefore the lifting of the gluteal region, so that it molds into the rounded profile of the pants while avoiding the vertical “drop” of the buttocks.
Normally, the effect of these cuts and seams in the crotch area is discomfort for the users, especially females. Devices have been developed to avoid that effect, as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,5811,771 (Williams, 1986) and 6,681,407 (Martz, 2004) illustrate. These patents describe devices that are placed between the user's body and the garment so as to prevent the seams from rising and are situated between the labia of the vagina.